Social science/Humanities

Course Description

The sentence, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter in the English language.

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

Ants never sleep!

“I Am” is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

When the moon is directly overhead, you will weigh slightly less.

Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from the blowing desert sand.

There are only two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: “abstemious” and “facetious.”

The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.

There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

Minus 40 degrees Celsius is exactly the same as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chocolate can kill dogs, as it contains theobromine, which affects their heart and nervous system.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men!

You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.

People say “Bless you” when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.

It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky

The “sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

“Rhythm” is the longest English word without a vowel.

If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents great king from history.

Spades – King David

Clubs – Alexander the Great,

Hearts – Charlemagne

Diamonds – Julius

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.

If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.

If the horse has a all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common?

Ans. – All invented by women.

Question – This is the only food that doesn’t spoil. What is this?

Ans. – Honey

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

A snail can sleep for three years.

All polar bears are left handed.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump.

In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.

Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.

Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times

The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different.

The Offbeat Career

Professionals speak to Pooja Mahimkar on why they chose an offbeat career and the challenges a different path poses

Naturalist

My love for the wilderness and my interest in flora, fauna and different communities, led me to career as a naturalist. A naturalist or safari specialist guides guests on wildlife safaris. I received criticism for my choice because of the popular notion that the field was not meant for a woman. Through my work, I decided to prove the critics wrong. When I entered the industry a decade ago, there was no professional course in the field or any professionally trained woman naturalist. I learnt on the field and have witnessed a change in guiding standards in the last decade. Wildlife tourism is steadily growing, thus making room for more employment. Students who wish to make a career in this field must be ready to work in remote locations, away from family and modern forms of entertainment. Growth-wise, the field doesn’t have the scope for a higher designation or promotion. You will always be a naturalist, although a more experienced one.

Expressive movement therapy goes beyond conventional dance. I always wanted to make a career in psychology and dance was my passion. Hence, the field of dance therapy caught my attention. Being able to help somebody through dance seemed interesting. I completed an MA in psychology and a two-year course in dance therapy at the Hancock Center for Dance Therapy in the US since there were no courses in India in this field. Another challenge I faced when I started out was that not many people were aware of this field. However, today people are embracing therapies like yoga, tai chi, and contemporary dance. Thus, the field has good career prospects with employment options in schools, old age homes, hospitals, special schools, etc. Having said that, aspirants need to keep in mind that institutes in India do not offer long-term courses in the field.

Those who wish to work as dance therapists must have good communication skills to understand a patient’s issues. A therapist needs to work with people dealing with multiple professional, health and personal issues, irrespective of their age. Movement therapists must also have dance skills along with basic knowledge of the social sciences. This field is both mind- and body-oriented.

Back in 2009, the concept of wedding planning was new. However, to me, the field seemed both challenging and fun. I thus collaborated with a friend to start my venture. When we started, people were unclear about what wedding planners do. The perception was that you need not make any effort for a wedding if you have hired a professional. It would be a task to explain to clients the exact service we provided. Today, wedding planning has grown and hiring a wedding planner has become more of a necessity than a luxury, increasing the scope of a career in this field.

While the industry may seem glamorous, aspirants should understand that there is more to it. Professionals in this field are required to work long hours and deal with a number of people including vendors, families, suppliers, etc. They are responsible for completing tasks on time with utmost perfection. Also, the work is seasonal, which means little or no income in the off season, making it stressful for some planners.

— Vithika Agarwal,Divya Vithika Wedding Planners

Translator

Upon analysing various career options I had, I chose to pursue a career as a translator. I calculated the monetary investment required to pursue a technical course and the pay I would receive after completing the course. The courses required little investment but gave me good returns. Though studying a relevant course is important, it takes some time for professionals to gain proficiency in a particular language. Translators can also double up as interpreters. When you learn a language, you need to also know the slang, traditions, background, and social conventions that come with it. This helps you communicate clearly. The job of a translator is often compared to an automated online translator, reducing the value of a qualified professional in the field. It is crucial to keep in mind that translating, interpreting and communicating with different people is tough. In India, the field is becoming popular. There is a demand for Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and French translators. Among the Indian languages, Hindi as a language is gaining momentum.

–Ravi Kumar,Translator and managing director of Modlingua Learning

Development Characteristics

In June 2002, the University started to organize the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which was then formally set up in May 2004 with permission of the Ministry of Education. The College includes the Department of Western Languages and Literature, the Department of Kinesiology, Health and Leisure Studies, and the Department of Traditional Arts, which were established in 2000, 2001 and 2002 respectively.

The Department of Western Languages and iterature is the first established department of this college. Its curriculum emphasizes both traditional courses of Literature and Linguistics and practical language training. The Department of Kinesiology, Health and Leisure Studies is the first of its kind to combine different fields of studies, including Health, Sports, Health Care, Leisure and Tourism. The Department of Traditional Arts, now renamed as The Department of Traditional Arts and Creative Design, focuses on traditional sculpture, aesthetic and multicultural arts, universal product design, and digital design.

The Department of East Asian Language and Literature, established in 2008 with permission of the Ministry of Education, focuses on language training in combination with political, economic and social studies of East Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. This would be the first department of East Asia studies in southern Taiwan. In 2004 the Department of Kinesiology, Health and Leisure Studies started to offer an additional two-year occupational program. With permission of the Ministry of Education, the department’s graduate program is established in 2007. The Language Center was founded in August 2002 to provide language training for the public. The Centre signed a collaborative agreement with Educational Testing Service (ETS) to sponsor the administration of TOEIC and TOEFL-PBT in southern Taiwan.

Goals

College of Humanities and Social Sciences in National University of Kaohsiung is the only college equipped with collective identities of humanities and social science in southern Taiwan. With the objectives to provide additional departments with the leading academic and researching experiences related to humanities and social science, College of Humanities and Social Science aims at developing professionals with aesthetic, social consciousness and world views.
In response to this goal, College of Humanities and Social Sciences is devoted to integration of teaching resources in different departments:

► It is obligatory for students in College of Humanities and Social Sciences to take three courses, including “Central Problems in Philosophy”, “Globalization and Multi-culture” and “Technology and Society”, with total 6 credits in the Core General Curriculum to develop the fundamental concepts of humanities and social science.

► To raise employment competitiveness, students are trained to cultivate their second professional specialty. College of Humanities and Social Sciences offers cross-field curriculums, such as “Guider Training Program for Tourism Industry” and “Foreign Language Program for Medical Tourism”. Integrated curriculums with other colleges, such as “Humanities and Business Management Program”, are also promoted.
In collaboration, the four departments in this college currently aim to offer education of professional language skills, multi-culture innovation, and healthy, happy lives. Features of each department are stated below.

■ The Department of Western Languages and Literature offers classes that enhance cultural and social understanding, such as History of Western Civilization, Introduction to Western Literature, Contemporary English and American Literature, English and American Children’s Literature, English and American Novel, Feminism, and Sociolinguistics.

■ The Department of Kinesiology, Health and Leisure Studies combines a rich variety of classes that improve general mental and physical well-being with hotel management, warehouse management, hot spring rehabilitation management, spa, and sports injuries and treatment. Theories of humanistic spirit embedded in these social activities are studied. Courses include “Health Promotion, Theory and Practice”, “Security Education and First Aid”, “Introduction to Leisure and Recreation”, “Environmental Health and Protection”, “Athletic Science”, “Psychology of Sports and Exercises”, “Environmental Health”, “Traveling and Security”, “Construction of Healthy Community”, and “Economics”. The department also provides field training in governmental offices of health promotion, leisure farms, fitness centers, hospitals and research institutions.

■ The Department of East Asian Language and Literature includes programs of both language and sociology for Eas t As ia count r ies . In collaboration with other departments in NUK, the department aims to provide interdisciplinary training concerning language, society, and culture of major East Asia countries, such as Japan, Korea, China, and Vietnam. They are based on the language training with the research of international relationships from the perspective of Taiwan. The course design follows the contents of eastern Asia languages, social science theory, practices, and application, literatures, Japanese conversation and translation, Korean conversation and translation, the third language training, and international student exchange program.